The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works

by William Shakespeare

  primero a card game

  primogeneity primogeniture, the inheritance rights of the oldest son

  principal accomplice; corner- post of a house

  principality one of the orders of angels

  princox impertinent youth

  Priscian Roman grammarian

  pristine original, of old

  prithee‘(I) pray thee’, please

  private privacy; common subject; private communication

  privilege sb. something that bestows a privilege; advantage; v. sanction, permit

  prize sb. fight, bout; privilege; v. esteem, care for

  prizer prizefighter

  probal reasonable

  probation proof; testing, trial

  proceeders scholars

  process sequence of events; relation, story; mandate, summons

  procurator proxy, substitute

  prodigious ominous; unnatural; Launce’s word for ‘prodigal’

  proditor betrayer

  proface an expression of welcome

  profit sb. learning, advancement; v. learn, advance

  progeny ancestry, lineage

  Progne wife of Tereus and sister of Philomel (seePhilomel); after learning of Philomel’s rape she obtained revenge by serving Tereus the flesh of their son at dinner

  prognostication prophecy; weather forecast

  Proh Deum! Medius Fidius!‘By God! Holy Fidius (i.e. Jupiter) [help] me!’ (Lat.)

  project sb. thought, anticipation; v. present

  projection scale

  prolixious time-wasting

  prolong’d postponed

  Promethean of Prometheus (seePrometheus)

  Prometheus legendary figure who stole fire from the gods to give to man and was punished by being shackled to a mountain where an eagle pecked at his liver

  promulgate make publicly known

  prone prostrate; eager, headstrong

  proof testing, trial; tried and tested armour; success

  propend incline

  propension propensity, desire

  proper personal, own; decent, fine

  property sb. individual quality; instrument; v. obtain; exploit, treat as an object

  proportion fortune; number, magnitude; lay the proportions = estimate the numbers needed

  propose sb. talk; v. hold forth, talk

  propriety true nature or identity

  propugnation protection

  prorogue postpone, put off; prolong

  prosecution pursuit, attack

  Proserpina, Proserpine maiden abducted by Pluto while she gathered flowers and then imprisoned in the underworld

  prosperous favourable, leading to a desirable outcome

  Proteus mythological figure able to change his shape

  protractive delaying

  proud resplendent, luxurious

  provand seeprovender

  prove test, try out, put on trial; ascertain

  provender food, fodder

  provincial subject to provincial jurisdiction; Provincial rose = (Provençal) rose with many petals

  prune preen

  psaltery stringed musical instrument

  publish proclaim; publicly represent

  pudder seepother

  pudding stuffed intestine, sausage

  pudency modesty

  pueritia boyhood (Lat.)

  pugging thieving

  puissance strength; troops

  puissant strong, overpowering

  puke-stocking (wearing) heavy dark woollen stockings

  pumpion pumpkin

  punk whore, slut

  punto (in fencing) thrust (Ital.); punto reverso = back-handed thrust (Ital.)

  purblind blind or weak-sighted

  purchase plunder; marketable value of a property, equal to twelve years’ rent

  purgation acquittal; confession and absolution

  purl curl

  purlieus vicinity of a forest

  purpose talk; proposal

  pursuivant herald’s attendant

  pursy flabby, short of breath

  purveyor one who travels ahead of a party on the move to prepare for its arrival

  push sb. crisis; action; int.‘pish’; stand the push = stand up to, tolerate

  push-pin a children’s game

  pussel obsolete spelling of pucelle (Fr., virgin), but with a derogatory sense of ‘prostitute’

  putter-off investor who is repaid five-fold upon returning from a foreign voyage

  putter-on one who instigates or incites

  puttock kite

  puzzel slut

  pyramid obelisk, pillar

  quail sb. whore; v. overpower; slacken

  quaint skilful; ingenious, artful; dainty, pretty

  qualify pacify; moderate; dilute

  quality nature; accomplishment; rank; profession; company

  quare why (Lat.)

  quarry game killed in hunting

  quarter military location, watch; relations

  quat pimple

  quatch (?) plump

  quean slut

  queasy dangerous; easily upset; sickened

  quench cool down

  quern (?) handmill; (?) churn

  quest sb. jury, inquest; search; v. bark

  question sb. conversation; trial, examination, consideration; v. talk (to), discuss; in the loss of question = for the sake of argument; on the top of question = with the maximum of contention

  questionable which invites questioning

  questrist seeker

  Qui me alit, me extinguit‘Who feeds me extinguishes me’ (Lat.)

  quick living; pregnant; lively; fresh

  quicken bring to life, fertilize; come to life, be conceived; make lively

  quiddities quibbles

  quietus clearing of accounts

  quill, in the (?) in a body; (?) in order

  quillets, quillities quibbles

  quintain post for tilting practice

  quis who (Lat.)

  quit release from service; acquit; remit; pay; reward, requite

  quite seequit

  quiver nimble

  Quo usque tandem‘How long?’ (Lat.), expression of impatience

  quoif seecoif

  quondam former (Lat.)

  quoniam because (Lat.)

  quote note; observe; set down

  quotidian daily fever; quotidian tertian = (?) Quickly’s confusion of two types of fever; (?) a severe fever of more than one strain

  R letter meant to sound like the growling of a dog

  rabbit-sucker baby rabbit

  race hereditary nature; course; (of horses) stud; (of ginger) seeraze (sb.)

  rack sb. cloud or bank of clouds; v. stretch, as on a rack; tax at an extortionate rate

  racker torturer (cf.rack)

  rage sb. poetic inspiration (cf. fury); v. enrage

  raging-wood crazy with anger

  raisins o’th’ sun grapes dried naturally in the open air

  ramp slut

  rampallian rogue

  ramping as heraldic ‘rampant’, rearing up in an aggressive stance

  rampir’d barricaded or protected by ramparts

  rangers gamekeepers

  rank sb. journey; adj. excessively grown or swollen, bloated; sexually excited; v. tier

  rankle make sore, aggravate

  rankness excessive growth or swelling

  ransack’d stolen, taken as plunder

  rap possess, overcome

  rapture violent seizure; paroxysm

  rascal sb. young, skinny deer; adj. common

  rash adj. sudden, hasty, violent; adv. hastily

  rate sb. estimation, value; manner, style; v. berate, revile; estimate, evaluate; be valued at; give (a share)

  rather, the all the sooner, all the more so

  ratified brought into ‘rate’ or proportion

  raught reached

  ravel tangle; untangle

  raven seeravin (v.)

  ravin adj.
ravenous; v. gulp, swallow eagerly

  ravin’d (?) ravenous; (?) having gorged itself

  ravish violate; seize, tear; enthrall

  ravished seized from

  rawness unprotected condition

  rayed soiled

  raze sb.(of ginger) root; v. scrape, cut

  razure erasure, destruction

  reach range of understanding

  read lecture, tutor

  re-answer repay

  reason sb. something reasonable; talk, discourse; way of thinking; just cause; v. talk; ask, plead; argue rationally about; explain; no reason = nothing for it

  reasonable of reason

  reave deprive

  rebate dampen

  rebato type of stiff collar or ruff

  rebeck an early ancestor of the violin

  receipt something received; receptacle; volume; recipe

  receiving apprehension, perception

  recheat call on a hunting horn

  reck care, take account of

  reckless thoughtless, having no care for

  reclaim overcome; domesticate (an animal)

  recognizance bond acknowledging a debt; badge

  recoil fall back, give way

  recollect collect

  recomforted comforted, reassured

  recommend commend, entrust; report to

  record sing

  recordation record, memorial

  Recorder civil magistrate of a city

  recourse access; repeated flowing

  recover revive, restore; obtain, reach; recover the wind = allow the hunted quarry to smell the hunt on the wind (cf.wind)

  recoverable able to be recovered or retraced

  recreation repast, refreshment

  rector priest; ruler

  rectorship sovereignty

  recure cure, heal, repair

  rede guidance, instruction

  Redime te captum quam queas minimo ‘Ransom yourself from captivity as cheaply as you can’ (Lat.)

  red-lattice an alternative to glass windows found in taverns

  reduce bring or lead back

  reechy grimy with smoke or grease

  reed voice breaking, adolescent voice

  re-edify rebuild

  reek sb. smoke, fumes; v. be exhaled in the form of smoke or fumes

  refel reject

  reflect shine; look; rebound, throw back

  refuge sb.(last) resort; v. screen, comfort

  regard sb. face, expression, look; sight; consideration; heed; v. respect, pay attention to; tend

  regiment authority

  region stratum of the atmosphere, sky

  regreet sb. greeting; reciprocal greeting; v. greet again

  reguerdon sb. reward; v. reward

  rehearsal account, repetition

  rehearse tell, repeat

  reins kidneys

  rejoicer (?) encourager

  rejoindure union; reunion

  rejourn postpone

  relation report

  relative cogent, material

  religion dutifulness, keen attention; superstition

  religious dutiful, conscientious, assiduous

  relinquish dismiss, abandon

  relish sb. taste, quality; v. taste; flavour; please; sing elaborately

  relume reignite

  remainder someone remaining; money yet to be paid

  remediate acting as a remedy

  remember commemorate; remind; mention

  remission pardon for an offence, hence desire or power to pardon; release from an obligation

  remit give up

  remonstrance manifestation

  remorse compassion, sensitivity; (?) obligation

  remorseful sensitive, compassionate

  remotion relocation

  remove raising of a siege

  removedness withdrawal, absence

  remover person who changes or withdraws

  render sb. surrender; confession; (?) due service; v. surrender; report

  rendezvous meeting place; home, refuge

  renege deny; abandon

  renew renew a battle

  repair sb. act of making one’s way; v. make one’s way

  repairing resilient

  repasture food

  repeal sb. recall (from exile); v. recall (from exile)

  repetition utterance, narration; repetitive talk; talk of former events

  repine fretting, vexation

  repining grudging

  replenished total, consummate

  replication reply; repetition for the purposes of elaboration or illustration

  reprisal booty

  reprobance damnation

  reprobate sinful

  reproof condemnation; disproof

  reprove deny, disprove

  repugn repel, reject

  repugnancy fighting back

  repugnant recalcitrant, rebellious

  repured refined

  repute judge, hold; make a reputation (of), broadcast

  requiring stern commands

  requit requited

  reremice bats

  rescue forcible retrieval of a person or goods from custody

  resemblance seeming

  resist (?) repel, disgust

  resolution certainty

  resolve dissolve; solve, provide an answer; satisfy

  resolvedly with clarification

  respect sb. consideration; respectablity, worth; v. consider; value; without respect = absolutely

  respective respectful; careful; equivalent, parallel

  respectively respectfully

  respice finem‘think on your end’ (Lat.)

  respite end of a period of respite

  responsive appropriate, matching

  ’rest arrest

  rest sb. stay, sojourn; v. remain; above the rest = above all; in rest = under arrest, detained; set up one’s rest = resolve, stake all (from a card game)

  resting changeless

  restrain restrict, withold

  restrained tightly drawn

  resty lethargic, idle

  retention detention; record, notebook; holding capacity

  retentive restraining, detaining

  retire sb. retreat; v. retreat; withdraw; make retire = withdraw

  retort reject, throw back

  retrograde (of a planet) moving backwards, hence contrary

  return sb. reply; v. reply

  reverb sound as a reverberation

  reverberate reverberating, echoing

  reverse‘punto reverso’ (see punto)

  reversion inheritance or restoration of property to an original owner viewed as a future event

  re-view, review see once more

  revolt change or transfer (of allegiance); disgust; rebel

  revolution turn, as of Fortune’s or Time’s wheel; turning of the thoughts

  revolve consider, dwell on

  rhapsody confused heap

  Rhenish Rhine wine

  rheum catarrhal or lachrymal discharge, seen in chronic cases as a morbid condition and sometimes linked with venereal disease

  ribaudred (?) ribald (licentious); (?) ‘ribald-rid’ (ridden by a ribald man); (?) knackered with ribaldry

  riggish licentious

  right adv. straight; correctly; justly; in right of = in the name of

  right-hand file aristocracy

  rigol circle

  rim peritoneum, abdominal membrane

  ring, cracked within the see crack

  ring-carrier bawd

  ringlet fairy ring; fairy dance

  riot revelling, partying

  ripe adj. ready; urgent; of marriageable age; v. ripen

  rivage shore

  rival sb. fellow, colleague; v. compete

  rivality equality

  rive burst, crack

  rivelled wrinkled

  rivo a cheer at drinking (Sp.)

  road raid, inroad; leg of a journey; anchorage, harbour

  robust
ious turbulent

  rogue vagrant

  roguing roving, vagrant

  roguish vagabond’s

  roisting wild, boisterous

  Roman (of handwriting) italic

  rondure circle, sphere (cf.roundure)

  ronyon mangy animal; term of abuse for a woman

  rook crouch

  ropery lewd jesting

  Roscius great Roman actor

  roted acquired or learnt by rote

  round sb. earth; ring-dance; circular journey; rung; adj. direct; adv. thoroughly; v. surround; grow round; whisper mysteriously

  roundel ring-dance

  roundly without fuss or ceremony, directly; fluently; completely

  roundure ring, circle (cf.rondure)

  rouse sb. drink or drinking session; v.(in hunting) drive from cover

  rowell spur

  royal sb. coin worth ten shillings; royal merchant = successful merchant

  royalty right granted to a subject by the king; crown

  roynish scabby, dirty

  rub sb.(in bowls) something that impedes or deflects the bowl from its course; v. sidetrack; rub on = roll on

  rubious ruby-red

  ruddock robin

  rude rough, unskilled, unsophisticated

  rudeness roughness, lack of skill or sophistication

  rudesby ruffian

  rue pity

  ruffle sb. hectic activity and quarrels; v. brag; handle roughly; fight; ruffle up = enrage

  rugged bristling

  rug-headed having long, wild hair

  ruinous in ruins, damaged

  rummage busy activity, as on a ship

  rumour confused din; rumoured character

  rump-fed (?) fed on choice cuts; (?) having fat buttocks

  runagate renegade, apostate

  runnion see ronyon

  russet reddish-brown, the colour of a coarse cloth worn by peasants

  ruth repentance; pity

  Saba the Queen of Sheba

  sable sb. blackness; adj. black

  sables magnificent dark furs

  sack white wine, often sherry

  sackbut brass instrument resembling the trombone

  Sackerson a famous bear from the London bear-baiting scene

  sacring bell small bell used in Protestant times to summon parishoners to prayers

  sad serious, solemn; dark- coloured

  sadly seriously, soberly

  sadness seriousness; in sadness = in earnest, truly

  safe adj. well, sound; adv. with regard to security; v. make safe

  safety custody

  saffron a dye used in both clothing and food

  Sagittary a centaur that fought against the Greeks in the Trojan war

  sail fleet

  sain said

  salad days youth

  salamander species of lizard supposedly able to live in fire

  sale-work ready-made goods

  Salic law French law blocking females and their descendants from succession to the crown